In connection with the Supreme Court’s new decision, upholding the right of the State of New York to release public school pupils for “release time” religious instruction, the Jewish Community Council of Metropolitan Boston, through its executive director, Robert E. Segal, pointed out today that in Boston, Jewish pupils in the public schools have not participated in “release time” instruction since 1949.
The withdrawal came after a recommendation by the Bureau of Jewish Education indicated that the “release time” program did not provide adequate religious education. The Bureau pointed out that ample facilities already exist for furnishing religious education to all Jewish children in Boston after school hours on week days and also on Saturdays and Sundays.
The Community Council reiterated its initial statement of 1949 that by taking the steps it had, it believed it “will make a contribution toward the maintenance of our public school system as a great democratic institution free from the disadvantages and dangers of sectarian divisiveness.”
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